


Day 20: Trembling

by Aelaer



Series: Whumptober 2019 [20]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bargaining, Demon Deals, Gen, Stephen Strange Bingo 2019, Whumptober 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-12 23:21:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21234269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aelaer/pseuds/Aelaer
Summary: "What is your name, demon?" asked Hamir."It is mine, for now," I said. Let them think they were dealing with a lesser demon for now; I was saving my reveal for later.Strange, now, Strange was outright trembling in rage. An unexpected bonus; I was expecting something more stoic. "What do you want with Christine?" he asked, and I appreciated his candour. Straight to the point."Idon't want anything with her," I answered. "Unfortunately for her, someone didn't like her all that much and cursed her soul to my realm."





	Day 20: Trembling

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who's back in this story.
> 
> This fills stephenstrangebingo for "Curse" (and my first bingo, finally).
> 
> If you want to get a feel for Narrator before diving into this, you can read his unpleasantness in [#2: Explosion](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20959778) and [#7: Isolation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21051443). It's not required to read those to understand this story, though.

Oh, you won't believe what happened— I mean it! You won't _believe_ the gift I had dropped right in my lap just now. Sit still and listen for a second. I mean, time hardly matters here anyway, does it? So just— just listen. I need to share this with someone.

Now as you know, I get a lot of calls for favours and deals. It's what I do, what I look for, and it certainly keeps the place populated, which is the entire point of the business. Without a population, this whole dimension would eventually wither and fade, and where would that leave me? You get it.

Souls are what keep the realm going. While minor demons are useful, it is the souls from mortal planes that have power, though most mortals are completely oblivious to the vast amount of energy within their souls. And me, well, I have found that I have a taste for human souls. There's something about their capacity to be so good, only to fall to the most depraved acts imaginable that makes my metaphorical heart sing in joy.

Take the human I just met. He was rather bitter about being kicked out of his little group and wanted revenge on the leader. This is rather par for the course when it comes to those calling upon my dimension for some sort of task or power, so I let one of the grunts handle it.

The grunt came back and gave me the details and I nearly danced in joy. Gave the grunt a soul to play with; grunts that just know when I'm not needed and when I _am_ needed are hard to come by, and I want him to know I appreciate it; can't have him being poached by some other entity.

So here I go up, putting on the shape the grunt was wearing for the job (which turned out to be more human-like than I usually go with, but that's fine), and to the human that reached out to us it doesn't look like anything's changed at all. For all he knows, he's talking to the same demon.

A quick review of the conversation so far later, I offer the summoner a sympathetic smile. "Tell me more about this Stephen Strange," I said, as if I didn't know anything about him. Play a bit dumb here and there, and humans grow much more comfortable around you, as if you're one of them. It's just adorable.

"He's an egotistical asshole," the summoner spat, "who has no business being the Sorcerer Supreme!"

I admit I had forgotten that they promoted him after that tiff with Nightmare (who's still the same moron he was five hundred Earth years ago, so you're not missing anything with him) and Strange had certainly proved himself capable enough. So for someone reaching out to _me_ to help take down _him_?

Yeah, you see why I'm just so damn pleased.

Anyway, he went on with this and that, explaining that he didn't deserve to be kicked out of Kamar-Taj, that Strange was an idiot, et cetera, et cetera. You know how summoners can get. I let him rant for a few minutes until he finally stopped for a breath, and then I asked him, "What do you want to do?"

"Make him pay," the summoner replied.

I must say, I kept my calm quite impressively at his useless answer. No good at blowing up at a summoner before we seal a deal, after all. "What would you like in order to accomplish that?" I asked quite patiently.

The summoner paused a moment, and really, I don't quite understand how some of these summoners are ready to sell their souls without a concise idea of what they exactly want prepared. While vague requests such as "power" and "wealth" are incredibly convenient for me, sometimes something more planned out would be a nice change of pace.

He eventually answered, "He has this doctor friend who knew him from before that comes to the New York Sanctum to still see him from time to time. Once even went to Kamar-Taj. I don't know if they're sleeping together or what, but Strange definitely cares for her. I want her cursed. Take her soul to tear him apart."

I admit, I was impressed by his thinking. I was expecting the usual "powers to destroy him" or something of the sort— you know how it tends to go— but this was a creativity I could appreciate. Curses and soul-taking, however? Two different things. "I can take her with me. Call that the curse." Not her soul alone, naturally, but I didn't say that I'd take her soul. But you know how humans are: they hear what they want to hear. "Do you know her name?"

"Palmer. Doctor Christine Palmer," he confirmed.

I could have found it myself if need be, of course, but he certainly sped up the process. "I will take Doctor Christine Palmer from this world, and in return, your soul comes to me upon your death." I then offered my hand

He didn't even hesitate! He gripped my hand and said, "Deal," and that was that. Soul in the bag. And what a treat to secure it!

Oh, yeah, I've already done as he asked. How could I help myself? It was a simple task and I was already on the mortal plane— and I had a bit of fun in the process, too.

I located the woman quickly in her apartment and put on the guise of Doctor Strange before appearing before her. She jumped and frowned at my sudden appearance, but as she has no skills in sorcery, immediately believed me to be him. "Stephen!" she said with a frown. "I told you not to portal into my apartment! You need to _knock_ unless I say otherwise."

"There's not much time," I said, and her frown turned into a look of confusion. "You're in danger. You need to come with me."

She was worried, of course, and asked me, "What? Stephen, what's happening?"

"We need to go," I said. "Come with me." I then offered her my hand to take. You see where this is going.

Of course she took my hand. Interestingly enough, the moment she took it she realized something was not right; I could see it in her expression. And she told me, "Your hand isn't trembling."

Whoops; my bad, right? But the hard part was already done; she gave me her hand. She tried to pull it away, of course, but, well, it was something of a pathetic struggle on her part. "Stephen, let me go."

I decided to let the guise from my face fall and said, "No, I don't think so," as I looked back at her.

It's been a long time since I've heard such a wonderfully terrified mortal scream. It's really made me consider that I should go out and take a few more summonings rather than having the grunts do all of them, or at least find some interesting fulfillments.

The woman? Oh, she's fine. I just have her sleeping. She's not really important in this, after all. She's only a prop for the real prize. And I left Strange enough hints that I expect he will be summoning me in no time at all.

* * *

Oh, here we go. And a summoning to force _me_ to come in person rather than giving me the ability to send a grunt in my stead; well done, Strange. But I was coming prepared.

A bit of a pull, and I found myself within a very well-warded and power-containing summoning circle. They put up runes to attempt to force my true self, but I've been able to beat those for over a thousand years, now.

So instead of facing the form that I tend to wear in my dimension, Strange and four other sorcerers were faced with the visage of the woman who called herself The Ancient One. And the expression on their faces? Absolutely priceless.

The one I knew as Hamir spoke first. "Reveal your true form."

"I don't think I will," I said, giving the sorcerers a small smile. I ran a hand over my currently bald head; not personally a look I'd go for myself, but I suppose it added to her enigma.

The woman called Minoru tried to cast a spell to remove my form and oh, that was precious. The summoning circle contained my power, but within its bounds? Her spells were nothing.

"What is your name, demon?" asked Hamir.

"It is mine, for now," I said. Let them think they were dealing with a lesser demon for now; I was saving my reveal for later.

Strange, now, Strange was outright trembling in rage. An unexpected bonus; I was expecting something more stoic. "What do you want with Christine?" he asked, and I appreciated his candour. Straight to the point.

"_I_ don't want anything with her," I answered. "Unfortunately for her, someone didn't like her all that much and cursed her soul to my realm."

"No," said the sorcerer named Wong. "Demons can only entrap souls within their realms that deliberately submit to their will. You cannot contain her soul."

"Ah, someone's done their homework," I said, but I admit I was delighted; it is so difficult to come across anything remotely challenging in my existence, and dealing with sorcerers that understood how it worked? What can I say; it was a breath of fresh air. "You are correct; her soul is not mine. But there are no rules against containing her living body within my realm until her soul sees fit to depart. Usually it's not worth the effort, but a curse is a curse." It really wasn't worth the effort; humans had to eat and drink all the time and it was just so much _busy work_. I'll stick to souls, thank you very much.

The newly minted Sorcerer Supreme was staring at me with narrowed eyes; the trembling had lessened, but it was there— oh, and especially in his hands. I see why the woman saw, or rather felt, the difference. "But this is not a curse in the usual sense of the term. You cannot curse physical bodies to other dimensions. Someone must have made a bargain with you."

Oh, what a true delight! Doctor Strange lived up to his growing reputation. "Quite so."

His eyes remained narrow. "I would bargain for her safe return to Earth." Beside him, Hamir stiffened in dismay.

I gave Strange a toothy grin, which, upon the face of the Ancient One, seemed to disturb the sorcerers gathered; that was amusing. "A small price of a soul would do it in a heartbeat."

Before he could answer, Wong immediately said, "Rejected. A mortal lifetime is not of the same value as a soul for an eternity."

Damn. Well, it was worth a shot. Strange, though, Strange was unable to hide his pain and anger at Wong's comment. Interesting.

"Can't blame me for trying," I said in turn. "Still, I am willing to bargain with you." I set my focus on Strange. "But bargain with you alone and in my own realm. Besides, you want to see your friend, yes?"

He did not answer immediately, and from what I could tell, they were communicating silently with each other. The summoning circle was strong enough that I could not intrude upon their thoughts, sadly, but I knew what the answer was going to be. Even if the other four sorcerers were against him, Strange was more than stubborn enough not to listen to them.

Eventually Strange answered, "I agree to bargain with you within your realm concerning Christine Palmer's safe return."

Carefully worded. Not an idiot. This was going to be _fun_. "Come with me," I said, offering my hand out.

Strange spared a last glance at the other sorcerers before walking towards me. Sadly he did not take my hand, but again, he knew what he was doing. I have to say I was just a bit giddy for the challenge.

I set my hand on his shoulder and said, "Cut the cord." I could feel Strange exhale under my hand, and with a gesture he extinguished all wards that forced me to the mortal plane. We were pulled through the multiverse together and the blink of an eye later, we were within my dimension.

I let the guise of the Ancient One fall from my visage and I grew in height and my skin reddened as I shifted into my chosen form for my home dimension. Strange was tense under my hand that had yet to leave his shoulder; he looked at his surroundings with a completely stoic expression, but I could feel the despair edging in. And he hadn't even looked at my shifting form yet.

Once I became me again, I finally introduced myself, like a proper host should. "I am Mephisto," I said, and I couldn't help but grin. "Welcome to Hell."


End file.
